Storylines We'll Have To Wait On: Elite Edge Rushers On Michigan's D-Line

Though the Big Ten's fall 2020 season in canceled, Michigan has a pair of high level defensive ends that were poised for dominant seasons.

During the 2019 season, Josh Uche developed into arguably the most dangerous pass rushing threat on Michigan's defense, and his aggressiveness in getting after the quarterback amounted to a team-high seven and a half sacks. Though Kwity Paye narrowly edged Uche in tackles for loss, the New Englad Patriots second round draft pick was a key piece in U-M's ability to pressure the passer.

When the 2020 fall football season was still on the table, the tandem of Paye and Aidan Hutchinson were expected to both take sizable steps forward at the defensive end position. Hutchinson, who occupies more of a strong-side role, logged 69 tackles and 10 tackles for loss, but he really established himself as a trusted, reliable defender, especially during clutch situations.

Paye, on the other hand, is more of a speedy pass rusher that used his agility and explosiveness off the edge to record 12.5 tackles for loss and six sacks. While that production is solid on paper, Paye was expected to dominate on the edge for the Wolveriness this fall. According to The Athletic's Bruce Feldman, Paye is the “freakiest” player in college football, and that designation speaks to his outright athletic ability.

During Jim Harbaugh's tenure at Michigan, the Wolverines have only produced one 10-plus sack season on defense (Taco Charlton with 10 sacks in 2016). That was likely to change this fall as either Paye or Hutchinson could have crossed that threshold, but it would not have been out of the question to see both players log double-digit sack campaigns.

That type of pressure on the edge has been missing in previous installments of Michigan's defense. While defensive coordinator Don Brown has been praised for his complex blitzing schemes that do produce pressure, the Wolverines have not had elite defensive line play up to this point. Both Charlton and Chase Winovich were highly productive during their Michigan careers, but the Paye-Hutchinson duo could have reached new heights in 2020.

Apart from those two All-Big Ten talents, Michigan has a couple other players that could have pushed for playing time and provided supplemental reps on the edge. Luiji Vilain is one player that has battled injury issues over the last couple years, but his pass rush skills were toted as refined as any in America when he was a senior recruit as part of the 2017 class. Vilain quite notably showed off a wide rolodex of pass rush moves, and he was in position to make a difference, at least on a rotational level, this fall. If Vilain could realistically fight to take reps away from Paye, it would be a positive indication of U-M's defense as a whole. Vilain would likely contribute as a weak-side defensive end, but he'll have competition there from a group of other Wolverines anxious to make their mark.

“What I’ll say to you is I do feel very strongly about (Taylor) Upshaw,” Don Brown said in a mid-May Zoom conference. “I do feel strongly about Luiji Vilain. David Ojabo, I think has a lot of similar traits that Josh Uche has.”

To be frank, that is a group of rather young players that would have been expected to make a big step up in their development and to preform when called upon this fall, guys that haven't necessarily needed to take the field in the past. So, more time to develop and grow into their own does not seem like a negative aspect in theory,.

“With Aidan Hutchinson and Kwity Paye and now you’re asking Upshaw, Luiji, Ojabo to be a functional sub-package players, I’m kind of excited about that,” Brown said. “We just gotta figure it out and see who the guys who are best-suited and who are the guys that are most ready.”

Julian Welschof is another relatively untested player where a strong contribution could really help move Michigan's defense forward. From a depth perspective, there is not a ton of depth on the interior portion of U-M's defensive line, so the more production and pressure from the edge, the better.

Hutchinson and Paye have appeared in various mock drafts over the past several months, so they will have a decision to make depending on whether there is a fall 2021 season or not.

How do you think Michigan's defensive line will fare moving forward? Who are the next rising stars from a pass rushing perspective? Let us know!